Siantan

I have always wondered what the word "siantan" meant. I've heard it many times but I never knew what it meant. Today, I found the word at a botanical blog and it points to the ixora plant. To the Malay people, it is called siantan or tudung periuk, and the related Malay ballad is Seri Siantan or Sri Siantan.

Siantan or tudung periuk (Ixora). Photos were taken at the USM Herbal Garden, Health Campus, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan.

When I wrote my books on the early Malay doctors, and covered the origins of Bugis people, I had thought that Siantan was an island, and therefore the people from "that island" were referred to as Orang Siantan. Just my imagination, because I don't know this Malay language that well to make sense of that word. Well, at least now I know what "siantan" is. A synonym is tudung periuk, and I wonder why. The Malay language is mysterious, and many Malay words have a hidden meaning.

A storm lasting nine days and nine nights stalled their journey and they found refuge among the Indonesian islands. Arong Abdul Rasul and his entourage anchored at Pulau Siantan, Kepulauan Anambas in Indonesia, which became their new home. They established a village, planted paddy and erected mosques. It was recorded by a scribe, Haji Jaafar, that the famous Bugis Daing warrior brothers came to the Riau Archipelago at about this time.
Three generations of Arong Abdul Rasul remained at Pulau Siantan – himself, his son Arong Muda and Arong Muda’s son Daing Abdul Latiff. The fates of the other two brothers, Arong Mustafa and Arong Marang, are unknown at the time of writing.Dr Abdul Latiff’s great-great-great grandfather was Arong Muda (Pulau Siantan),[1] who had three children, two sons and a daughter – Daing Abu, Daing Abdul Latiff and Daing Mahaya.Dr Abdul Latiff’s great-great grandfather was Daing Abdul Latiff (Pulau Siantan),[2] who had nine children, eight sons and a daughter – Omar, Maimon, Jumaat, Abdul Rahim, Haji Abdul Karim, Haji Tahir, Khamis, Haji Mohamed Kassim[3] and Haji Mohd Ali.

---

[1] Also styled Arong Muda Pulau Siantan, to mean Arong Muda of Pulau Siantan where he resided.[2] Also styled Daing Abdul Latiff Pulau Siantan, to mean Daing Abdul Latiff of Pulau Siantan where he resided.[3] It is possible that Haji Jaafar could have been the son of Haji Mohamed Kassim.

I know from the old days, ladies would wear the red ixora florets in their buns and when the petals dried out, one by one they fell to the ground. Of course men could trace the ladies' trail by following the fallen ixora florets.

I remember sucking the nectar from the red, pink and yellow ixora florets. There's also the Malaysian Ixora vehicle (van). I wonder why we never used Seri Siantan for our Ixora vehicles.

I have tried planting ixora but it always died. Almost all Malay homes plant this ixora plant except my house. I have to learn how to grow this plant so that my home can also be grouped as a Malay home. Trying my best for 30 years now!! LOL.

External links:
Siantan, tudung periuk or ixora: http://adrydaud.blogspot.com/2010/05/bunga-part-ii.html
Bugis kings in Riau-Lingga-Johor: http://www.rmkhalid.com/2011_01_02_archive.html

Raden Ahmad of Pattani (2)

This is my second post on Raden Ahmad of Pattani.

I had received a phone call from Ustaz Wan Mohd Hazim bin Wan Abdullah bin Raden Ahmad on Saturday, 12 January 2013 at approximately 9.59 am when I was in Penang. The phone reception was unclear but I can provide this information for the time being.

Ustaz Wan Mohd Hazim wanted to know who was the wife/who were the wives of Raden Ahmad.

Ustaz Wan Mohd Hazim is the grandson of Raden Ahmad as mentioned by Haji Wan Abdullah Saghir. Ustaz Wan Mohd Hazim lives at Kg Sg Palah in Kota Kubang Labu and teaches at SMK Sg Pinang. The area is called Pasir Pekan. He said since Pattani is chaotic (huru-hara), he can't go there to do business.

I couldn't hear him well so I can't write more.

Ustaz Wan Mohd Hazim can be contacted at 09-7181-575 in Kelantan.

External links:
http://toknusantara.blogspot.com/2011/06/sunan-ampel-raden-ahmad-rahmatullah.html

Hashimah Hussien

This is Affandi's youngest sister. She is married to a Motorola engineer based in Penang. She has 5 kids, the eldest is working as a pharmacist in Ipoh. The others are doctors-to-be. All her kids studied at the religious schools and memorise the Quran (hafiz & hafizah).

Hashimah

Xlibris Videos

Here are some Xlibris videos & tutorials on YouTube:

Top 5 submission mistakes
Publishing videos

What I have learned from the videos:

1. Some stories/books are good to make videos for them
2. There are very few good videos that are captivating
3. Some objects/elements/silhouettes are used repeatedly in many different videos
4. Commonly used pic/silhouettes are girl leaving home, lovers running uphill, lovers running down a street, a little girl walks in the fog holding hands with an adult, girl in prayer, leaves moving as the wind blows on trees and sun's rays coming through to reach the ground, the universe, starburst, stardust, the stars, etc
5. The video portrays a real human whereas the book cover depicts a cartoon; which is true?
6. Some videos have very good graphics & photos
7. Some subtitles/text are blur and were difficult to read fast
8. Some fonts are not popular and it was difficult to make out the words
9. Professional narrations have good diction and American English is used. They are lively and nice to listen to
10. Sometimes the title seems to portray a white man's story but the photos are of black people; which is correct?
11. Most authors spoke in a sad voice or tone; I got very upset after listening to them. Some choked towards the end of their narrations. Didn't they audition first?
12. A few authors sat in the same brown leather chair. Was it a studio or the authors' homes?
13. Most authors are elderly
14. There are some good and useful titles for university students to read
15. There were many stories of the past, memories of pain and suffering, memories of death of a loved one, memories of adoption, memories of child abuse, etc
16. Nobody wrote about kings except there was one about a lost kingdom which featured, probably the US war on Afghanistan or Iraq.
17. The illustrations & photo quality are quite poor for some videos. Is it the original photo quality used or was it done on purpose to create a scene of the past?
18. The last slide shows where to buy the book online; sometimes the lines are read
19. Video clips are either 30 sec or 60 sec, with or without narration. Narration is either the author's voice or that of a professional narrator

My concerns:

1. If I decide to make a video for each of my books, will my videos resemble any of the present videos? Will any element from past videos be used in my video clips? What background music is suitable for each of my books? Are these background music copyrighted or are they from public domain and free to use? How do I select the music I want?
2. What impact will videos have on potential buyers? Will potential buyers buy after all?
3. Is there a possibility of making a great impressive expensive video but getting no sales?

BookWhirl.com

Dean Archers of BookWhirl.com phoned me while I was in Penang. The phone connection was poor so I asked him to email me too. He gave a few links and I checked them out this morning.

http://www.bookwhirl.com/Testimonials.php
http://www.bookwhirl.com/Services/Book-Marketing/Email-Advertisement-Campaign-Service.php

This is what I found out so far:

1. The email ad for a book as prepared by BookWhirl is very attractive and I like it
2. The colours used for the email ad makes a book stand out
3. The text brief describing the book contents is good
4. The marketing aim is targeted as specified by the author
5. Most authors are happy about the email ad campaigns prepared for them
6. The cost looks ok: USD799 for 500,000 email recipients (the one I signed up with Xlibris was for 100 email recipients only)

However, I have a few concerns. My concerns are:

1. There were no reports of the past years sales of a book advertised via email ad campaigns
2. I don't know how many universities worldwide teach history that have interest in Asia
3. I don't know if foreign professors even know Malaya/Malaysia/Singapore, to even suggest using my books for class use
4. I can subscribe to 500,000 email recipients, but the actual number of interested universities may only be >50%. So I lose 50% on email campaign alone.

I have other concerns. My concerns are:

1. Books today are heavily advertised for markets and sales
2. I can subscribe to so many markets and sales campaigns but what is one that is a definite one that will create good sales?
3. There seems to be a lot of ways to market books (email ad campaign, video clip, TV, radio, magazines, catalogues, book fairs, etc)
4. What combinations of marketing books are good for a particular book? I can't be subscribing to all marketing modes just to make sales work for my books.
5. A lot of emphasis is now placed on cross-cultural experiences and exchange

London Book Fair1  London Book Fair2

Arabic Book Fair1  Arabic Book Fair2  Arabic Book Fair3

How a book is printed

Tan Sri Haji Dato' Dr Abu Talib bin Abdul Latif

Faiz Hazwani wrote in Facebook:

"This book is very memorable and inspiring. My late grandfather is Tan Sri Haji Dato’ Dr Abu Talib bin Abdul Latif, DG of MOH, u can contact Khairun Nur Mohd Arif for his full biodata."

Tan Sri Haji Dato' Dr Abu Talib bin Abdul Latif is mentioned in the book Research on the Early Malay Doctors 1900-1957 Malaya and Singapore, on page 269, Appendix 1, item 18 in Table 3. However, I have written his name as Abdul Talib bin Abdul Latiff, MBBS 1957. 

I also have him listed in Appendix 6, item 5 on page 278. Here he is listed as YBhg Tan Sri Haji Dato' Dr Abu Talib bin Abdul Latif. His name and details were provided by the Ministry of Health (MoH). He was the 5th DG of Health from 23 October 1980. 

No retirement date was given. The next DG started on 4 April 1983. He could have retired before this date. He could have been responsible for the MoH under the 4th Malaysia Plan.

I hope to obtain more information on him so that I can prepare a more detailed biography and reference the details just as I have done for the other biographies in the main book, Biography of the Early Malay Doctors 1900-1957 Malaya and Singapore.

Consumer Association of Penang (CAP)

CAP moved to the Green Lane premise which was actually once owned by Dato' Mushir Ariff & family. I don't think Sir Kamil Ariff lived here because in Datuk Zubaidah's book there was a different picture of Sir Kamil's residence during WWII.

CAP building in Penang

Aunty Chom

Kg Sg Gelugor, Penang 1730s

A coastal Malay village

Kg Sg Gelugor is a Malay coastal village. It existed when my maternal great-grandfather Shaik Ahmad came to live in Glugor. His youngest son Cpt S. A. Mohd Noor was born in Glugor in 1890.

In an old photo of Dr Che Lah, on the rear is written "Kg Sg Gelugor 1952". His children were visiting his eldest and only sister, Mak Besar (Aunty Besar) bt Md Joonos in 1952, before his eldest daughter Tulip went overseas to Kirkby College. The group photos showed Mak Besar's children and his children in front of the house, while Dr Che Lah was up on the verandah in casual clothes - kain pelekat and white Pagoda T-singlet.

Dr Che Lah (up on the verandah), his eldest sister (second left) and his children at Kg Sg Gelugor 1953

Aunty Chom
Kg Sg Gelugor resident
A descendant of Habib Noh

There are 3 sisters - Aunty Latifah, Aunty Chom and Aunty Intan. The 3 sisters are related to Azeeza Begam Habib Noohu, and all are descendants of the Muslim saint Habib Noh Alhabshi who is buried at Makam Habib Noh in Singapore.

Aunty Chom is Kalsom bt Shaik Emam. She is the elder sister of Aunty Intan, Kamaruddin's wife.

We went to visit Aunty Chom at Kg Sg Gelugor. She lived in a double-storey bungalow next to an empty plot.

Aunty Chom, a very good storyteller about practices of traditional Malay medicine. She related the treatment of diabetic foot in Penang dialect, which was captivating to listen to.

Aunty Chom was cleaning rice grains when we visited her last evening. Here, the spoiled rice grains and foreign matter are separated from the unspoiled rice grains. The spoiled rice grains are called "padi-padi" and are fed to birds in the garden. 

Sadly, Aunty Chom passed away on 4 January 2016. She is interred at Masjid Jamek Gelugor.


Brown Garden/Helen Brown Garden, Penang 1789
Brown Estate
David Brown Esq of Glugor.

Brown Garden existed after the British arrived in Penang in 1789. It came into existence after Kg Sg Gelugor existed, which was 50 years older.

At first, Brown Garden was a standalone housing area. It comprised a narrow belt on the plains and which fanned into the hillside. Houses here were mostly double-storey and painted an ugly yellow. The houses were on both sides of the main road that led uphill. The houses uphill were on terraces and houses faced the sea. The upper reaches of Brown Garden ended in slopes of Penang Hill. The trees were quite big and plenty. The area became damp as there were many trees with dense foliage.

Later, sometime in the early 1980s, 2 small roads were built to join 3 adjacent housing areas. A small road was constructed to link Lengkok Pemancar to Brown Garden. Another small road was constructed to link Brown Garden to Cangkat Minden.


4-Junction of Kg Sg Gelugor and Cangkat Minden
Too wide, too busy and a death trap

As we exited Minden Heights to return to Kelantan, I saw 3 old signboards in Kg Sg Gelugor, which were very close to the main road - Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah. One signboard indicated Kg Sg Gelugor. I didn't take any close-up photos of the signboards as Affandi drove too fast and I didn't have time to pull out my camera as I least expected to see the 3 signboards.

A brick community hall of Kg Sg Gelugor is its landmark. Most old houses here are wooden. Modern houses have a brick base and a wooden upper floor. 12 January 2013

4-Junction of Minden Heights and Kg Sg Gelugor, viewed from Minden Jalan 1. 12 January 2013. The Malay village is beyond the traffic lights, closer to the sea and land reclamation for constructing the peripheral expressway. The Malay village is now land-locked by 2 modern expressways, and the villagers no longer have free access to the sea. The main delicacy of this Malay village used to be chutney (acar buah).

Cangkat Minden, Penang 1971

Development of an old hillock
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minden_Heights

Cangkat Minden (Minden Heights) is more recent than Kg Sg Gelugor. Cangkat Minden was developed in 1971, when I was in Form 1.

According to my late mother, a small river runs under my late mother's house (my sister's house today). This small river was diverted and a big drain was made to contain the river. Since the earth beneath the house is not original solid earth, my grandfather only build 2 wooden homes on top of the buried small river. The land now contains my late grandfather's house and my late mother's house. The 2 houses lie side by side at 460-H and 462-I, Jalan 7, Cangkat Minden.

There is a small access road at the end of Jalan 7, that leads to USM, Penang (main campus). This road opens to USM's guard house and expansive green soccer fields.


Kamaruddin bin Dr Che Lah
Seberang Perai engineer
USM Bertam campus

Aunty Chom updated us about Dr Che Lah's only son, Kamaruddin (my Uncle Din). According to her, Kamaruddin is still the head of public works in Seberang Prai, the same department that sees to the recent development of Bertam, where USM had intended to build its Advanced Medical and Dental Institute. According to Kamaruddin, Bertam is an oil palm plantation land.

Aunty Intan informed that Uncle Din (Kamaruddin bin Che Lah) retired in early 2015. Din retired in February 2015.

Kamaruddin is a chronic diabetic and depends on traditional healing methods despite his father was an early Malay doctor and had owned Glugor Klinik, and his Chinese mother was a long time matron at the Maternity Hospital in Penang. He's scared to go to hospital. His son has a more modern outlook and calls the ambulance for his father's sake. Both Kamaruddin and his son Faisal were trained in Australia. However, Kamaruddin has fear of hospitals. His son understands his father's fear of going to hospital.


Fears of Going to Hospital
Diabetes Education

Many Malay men today still have fears about going to hospital. These fears have never been properly documented nor understood by modern doctors, nor are they studied by medical students. It is very difficult to make a Malay father believe in hospitals or go to hospital. They would rather take to traditional Malay preps which are "more earthly".

In Malay traditional medicine there are no quick cures but most herbs used in Malay traditional medicine are for protective purposes and health maintenance. There are many herbs used by the Malays to slow down diabetic complications. Traditional Malay medicine is of limited use as supplements but it cannot deal with diabetic complications such as diabetic foot or gangrene where limb amputation becomes necessary.


IMR, Kuala Lumpur 1905
Alternative treatment for diabetic foot
Sterile maggots of Lucilia cuprina

There are however, other means of overcoming diabetic foot problems done by the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) in Kuala Lumpur, but these researched methods are limited to certain places as there are no nationwide plans to extend the services from research to the community. One of interest to me is the use of specially breed maggots to consume debris from diabetic foot. The maggots are applied under sterile conditions and then the injured foot bandaged. These maggots grow to enormous size and are then removed. Usually the diabetic foot heals; after some time, new tissue grows in place and the diabetic foot then heals well. I've seen a lot of progress of such therapy but it is still not available to many diabetic foot sufferers and I don't know what the problem is. Why can't they train the patients or supply the maggots to the sufferers and ask them to look after their own foot? I think there is a lot to be done for the diabetic foot sufferers.

GH Penang

This was my second visit to General Hospital Penang. This time we decided not to disturb Mr Tan Hock Chuan. We parked our car near the cenotaph and went up to the 3rd floor to the director's office. We were greeted and then met Mr Tan. He instantly recognised Affandi and I through the glass door while talking to a staff at the counter.

We left 3 copies of Biography of TEMD, one for Mr Tan Hock Chuan, another for Dato' Dr Yasmin bt Sulaiman, and another for the hospital library. Of course we took a few photos and enjoyed ourselves while we were there. The director had a meeting so I didn't see her.

Mr HC Tan

Block A, GH Penang

Parking lot in front of Block A, GH Penang

Block A, GH Penang viewed from Jalan Sepoy Lines and the polo ground

Meet Assoc Prof Dr Cheah Yu-N

He was my research collaborator. We co-published a lot of stuff on Telehealth, including books.

Assoc Prof Dr Cheah Yu-N
School of Computer Sciences, USM Penang

Meet Dr Zarina Mustafa

Both Prof Asma Ismail (now VC USIM) and Dr Zarina Mustafa (School of Educational Studies, USM) are descendants of the first Malay doctor, Dr Abdul Latiff bin Razak. There's a road named Jalan Doktor Abdul Latiff at the General Hospital Kuala Lumpur (GHKL) which was renamed Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL).

Dr Zarina contributed a lot to make the biography of the first Malay doctor a success. Otherwise I didn't have photos for the biography of Dr Abdul Latiff. She had obtained the photos from her uncle, engineer Zainuddin Dato Yahya. Zainuddin had compiled many photos of his Bugis clan which I used for my book.

I had called Dr Zarina to meet her at her office but Affandi got distracted after solat Jumaat and went to visit his old friend Prof Omar Shawkataly (a Malacca man), while I waited for him, and Dr Zarina waited for me.

I informed Dr Zarina that I was waiting for Affandi at Canselori. She wanted to go somewhere and came to see me at the Canselori. We sat there and talked like kids do. It was good to catch up on old times. She was surprised, happy, stunned, thrilled and lost for words that the books were ready and appeared right before her eyes, in her very own hands!! Nobody could imagine that the books would be out after 10 years of research. Yes! We made it after all!! Alhamdulillah. Thanks to all team members who helped. Now we have books which we can share.

Dr Zarina leading the way (Kami Memimpin)
School of Educational Studies, USM

Azeeza Begam Habib Noohu

Habib Noh's desendants

Her father's name takes after the famous Muslim saint of Singapore, Syed Noh @ Habib Noh who is buried at Makam Habib Noh. Azeeza Begam is a descendant of Habib Noh. Link1. Link2.

I first heard of Habib Noh from a distant relative, Azeeza Begam Habib Noohu, when my family gave her a lift to her home in Penang some time in 1982/83. Her house was by the roadside with the front door facing and opening to the road. It was a quaint house with dark green painted walls and it looked a bit "Chinese" and unusual for a family home. She lived there with her mother. I never met her parents.
Both Azeeza Begam and I worked together at the same hospital in Kubang Kerian. This was the newly built Hospital USM (HUSM). It was officially opened in November 1984. Azeeza Begam was in administration as the registrar (pendaftar) and I was a lecturer, doing both administration and academic work. As we both had a lot of work to do in early HUSM, we hardly met while working at the same hospital.

Azeeza Begam and I are of the same age (born 1958). Azeeza Begam feels more connected to me than I am to her. She seeks me more than I seek her.

Azeeza was the woman who had her first C-section after me, using the same surgical instruments which were not properly sterilised after my surgery at HUSM in late April 1984. We both survived the ordeal.

Both Azeeza Begam and I had our first child (daughters) in April 1984, less than 24 hours apart. It was at this time while in our respective hospital beds in HUSM that her mother and relatives came to visit her and I met them for the first time. Our hospital beds were separated by the aisle and green curtains. We could speak to each other while laying in bed.

When I visited her office this morning, the girls there told she had taken early retirement. I was upset as we had not met for so long. I asked the girl (Aishah) for Azeeza's hp#. I called Azeeza during Friday prayer and she came with her daughter to meet me at USM Canselori. It was very nice to meet a relative again after all these years.

It was the first time I met her daughter as I could not get up from my bed to see her daughter in 1984, after surgery back then. I must say that she has a beautiful daughter, with similar first name as my eldest daughter. Her daughter is a mass comm graduate.

I met Azeeza Begam at the USM Canselori in Penang on 11 January 2013. She said a lot of things but I haven't had the time to learn of the details nor digest them fully.

According to Azeeza Begam, "your mother's people" were descended and related to Habib Noh, the famous Muslim saint who died in Singapore. 

I still have some doubts about this. To me, Al-Habshi people are related to my late father's lineage, and not my mother. My late mother's paternal lineage was from Hyderabad in the Deccan plateau, southern central India. According to Azeeza Bagem, Intan's mother and Azeeza's mother were cousins and their parents were siblings and descended from Habib Noh. So, I am right with my doubts. Intan is my uncle's wife. Uncle Din (Kamaruddin bin Dr Che Lah) is my mother's half-brother from the same father. So I am not related to the famed Habib Noh but my uncle's wife and her son are.

Aishah Shahira and Azeeza Begam (right)

Makam Habib Noh

Who was Habib Noh?

Habib Noh is Al Habib Nuh bin Muhammad Al-Habshi, a Muslim saint of Singapore. His grave (makam) is atop a hillock, and not at the usual Muslim cemetery. There is a history about his unusual burial site and why he is buried there. Makam Habib Noh is a must visit site for many Muslim visitors to Singapore.

External links:
http://aladamyarrantawie.blogspot.com/2012/06/al-habib-nuh-bin-muhammad-al-habsyi.html

Datuk Zubaidah Ariff & Rukiah Hanoum Omar Farok

Kak Rukiah was the first person I texted when I arrived in Penang last night, 10 January 2013 at 8.37 pm. We continued to text each other after she and Datuk Zubaidah had finished dinner at a restaurant. She mentioned the name of the restaurant to Affandi but I didn't hear it clearly and forgot the name. We agreed to meet on 11 January 2013, as Datuk Zubaidah would be on her way out to visit some relatives in Bertam. I was at USM when I received Kak Rukiah's SMS this morning. We rushed home upon receiving her SMS.

I was taking out the books for Datuk Zubaidah and Kak Rukiah when Affandi suddenly frantically called out, "Dia dah datang!" I jumped and my heart raced. I panicked because "Dia dah datang" was the same cry when Affandi first arrived at my mother's gate to marry me. But this time, it was Datin Zubaidah and Kak Rukiah. 

Datuk Zubaidah was a childhood & teenage friend of my mother. They played dolls together. I wrote about it in my book, Biography of TEMD. Her husband Dato Mushir Ariff passed away the same night I had called Datuk Zubaidah when I put up at one of the beach hotels in Batu Ferringhi. She was staying somewhere in Tg Bungah at the time. Later, she moved to the seaside residence at Gurney Drive. 

Since they arrive at my late mother's house (now my sister's house), I said to Affandi to attend to them and take some photos while I continued to pick out the books for them. I had never panicked this bad as I did earlier today. I couldn't even autoraph the books properly for them. Terrible!

Rukiah Hanoum, granddaughter of Sir Kamil Ariff

YBhg Datuk Zubaidah Ariff, wife of Dato' Mushir Ariff (son of Sir Kamil Ariff). I managed to salam this lovely lady.

Kak Rukiah and me. She's also taking the books to give to 2 other contributors - Ayob and Omar. Datuk Zubaidah's car - MA is for Mushir Ariff.

Assoc Prof Dato Mohd Razha Abd Rashid

He is the husband of Prof Dato Dr Wazir Jahan Karim. We didn't get to meet him as he was in a meeting at PPJJ (Pusat Pengajian Jarak Jauh). We were supposed to deliver the book to him. I left the book at the office counter with a lady named Salmiah. Later Dato' informed us he had received the book. He had left his hp in silence mode, for which he did not hear my calls or read my SMS. But I'm happy he has received the book, Biography of TEMD, on behalf of Prof Wazir.

I remember one day when Dato Razha called on my hp when I was at work in USM in Kelantan. I had just returned from Prof Wazir's book launch in KL. He spoke continuously and at the end of it I told him he got the wrong person! LOL. Of course a big laughter ensued. He had wanted to call another lady by the same name as mine about Prof Wazir's books. It happens when one has a very common name like Faridah. Prof Wazir's book launch is mentioned in Biography of TEMD.

Assoc Prof Sr Azlan Raofuddin

Azlan is the son of Dr Nuruddin bin Mohd Salleh, an early Malay dentist mentioned in my books. He had a meeting when we arrived at his office door at HBP (School of Housing, Building and Planning).

Affandi waiting in front of Azlan's office

Azlan's office at HBP

Meet Izham Musa

Izham helped designed the Telehealth logo which appears on the back of the book Biography of the Early Malay Doctors, and also in the book Research on the Early Malay Doctors. We met him while driving; he was going the opposite direction. We know Izham since we first joined the USM Medical School. He was a graphic designer.

Izham (left) and Affandi

Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP)

VC's Speech 16 Feb 2012

Biodata Prof Dato' Dr Daing Nasir Ibrahim

Penerbit USM

We also visited Penerbit USM at Taman Buku dan Inovasi Media. This is a low-lying single-storey red open brick & glass building in front of the Penerbit USM main building. The Taman Buku dan Inovasi Media building cannot be viewed from the roadside because it is hidden by the large lecture hall that is in front of it. Negotiations are in progress with Penerbit USM. We talked to Hasleza. Penerbit USM supplies to booksellers in Malaysia and Singapore. It takes 40% off supplier's price. It also hosts books online.

This bunting was seen on the 6th floor of the Chancellory building on 11 January 2013. It says at the bottom: Bahagian Pemasaran, Taman Buku dan Inovasi Media, Penerbit USM. Tel: +604-653 3888 ext. 4433/4953 Fax: +604-633-4431. Web: www.penerbit.usm.my

The tiny blue signboard of Taman Buku dan Inovasi Media on the wall of the huge lecture hall as viewed from the roadside.

Open brick and glass building of Taman Buku dan Inovasi Media in front of Penerbit USM. Affandi is standing at the main entrance.

Discussion with Hasleza, Izham, Affandi and myself.

Hasleza

Hasleza Abdul Halim
Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia
Universiti Sains Malaysia
11800 USM Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Tel: 604 653 4953
Faks: 604 653 4431
http://www.penerbit.usm.my

Update 17 January 2013
Hasleza wrote back and says Penerbit USM does not want to distribute my books.

Meet USM VC's office

We visited USM VC's office and that of the Dy VC Academic at the Canselori. The VC was out. However, I met him, Encik Mohamad Abdullah and other men who returned from the masjid after Friday prayer. The men wore black baju Melayu cekak musang and kain sampin. They looked elegant as men in black. I did not greet the VC because I wasn't sure it was really him. Azeeza Begam greeted him as she had worked on the same floor as the VC's office. I only confirmed with Azeeza Begam that it was the VC after he left to go upstairs. So I don't have a photo of the VC for this post. Encik Mohamad Abdullah came later to greet Azeeza Begam but I wasn't sure it was him but he recognised me and said to Azeeza Begam: Saya kenal dia tapi dia tak kenal saya.

Norzalinah Shaik Mohamed, Secretary, Office of the VC, Chancellory, USM, Penang. **norzalinah@usm.my** Tel: +604-653 3101  Fax: +609-656 5401

Anisah Hussain, Sceretary, Office of Dy VC (Academic and International Affairs), Chancellory, USM, Penang. **anisah_hussain@usm.my**  Tel: +604-653 3295  Fax: +604-656 6699